Life After Todd
by Hobbit4Lyfe
Summary: In the three years after the death of Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett, Johanna Barker slowly learns to survive without Anthony Hope, who fled London after being accused of murdering Todd and Lovett. Johanna learns about herself in the process. Please review.
1. Prologue

Three years ago, when I was fifteen, almost sixteen, my boyfriend and I were going to run away together. Anthony was going to save me from my guardian, the vile Judge Turpin.

The Judge wrongly sent me to Fogg's Asylum, supposedly for my own protection, after I refused his marriage proposals. Anthony went to his barber friend, Sweeney Todd, who gave Anthony a disguise as a wigmaker's assistant. Anthony rescued me from the asylum and took me to Todd's barber shop on the upper floor of 186 Fleet Street.

Anthony left to call a cab. While he was away, the local beggar woman came to the shop, looking for Beadle Bamford, so I hid in a chest by the door. Todd came in after her, he panicked as the Judge approached, and I heard the woman fall through what I now know is the "death chute" to Mrs. Lovett's cellar, where she cooked her meat pies.

The Judge and Mr. Todd were talking about me, and then Todd offered the Judge a shave. Todd gave the Judge the closest shave he ever knew – and slit the Judge's throat. He, too, went down the chute.

I shifted around uncomfortably and tried to open the lid of the chest to get some air, and Todd found me. I would have been killed, too, if Mrs. Lovett hadn't screamed, and Mr. Todd hadn't gone to see what was going on.

I tried to sneak and see what was going on in the cellar. At first, I got lost in the parlor, since I couldn't tell which door was the back door to the shop and which door led to the stairs.

I made it just in time to see Mr. Todd throw Mrs. Lovett into the oven. Then he knelt down next to the beggar woman. He called her Lucy, my mother's name. It was all I could do not to make any sound as I realized that they were my parents.

Mrs. Lovett's shop boy, Toby Ragg, climbed out of the sewer and killed Mr. Todd with his own razor. Then the boy pushed past me and ran out of the cellar.

In the three years since, nobody has seen or heard from Toby the shop boy, at least not that anyone will admit. I haven't seen Anthony much. He's been on the run and can't visit me too often. Because of his association with Sweeney Todd, Nellie Lovett, and Judge Turpin, he's been charged with killing the three of them, Beadle Bamford, and the beggar woman, as well as the disappearance of Toby Ragg and the disappearance and supposed death of the Italian barber Adolfo Pirelli. Anthony hasn't visited much, and he hasn't asked me to come with him, since he says he doesn't want a young lady to be on the run with a fugitive.


	2. A New Home

I've lived through tough times, but none are as tough as the harsh adult world of London. It's especially hard for an unwed young lady. I've waited for Anthony to return to at least marry me, since he won't let me come with him, but so far, it hasn't happened. I understand it wouldn't look good for me to marry an outlaw, but it also doesn't look good for me to be a young, and somewhat wealthy, woman with no husband.

In the meantime, when Judge Turpin died, I was given a new guardian until I turned eighteen, when I became an adult. At that point, about nine months ago, I inherited the Judge's home and money. He left me a fairly large amount of money, given his "honorable" position. The home is nice, but it holds too many bad memories. I sold it to move to a new home.

No matter how bad the memories are of living with the Judge, the memories of the home owned by my father and Mrs. Lovett were worse. And yet, for some illogical reason, after I sold the Judge's home, I bought the abandoned 186 Fleet Street property.

No, I don't really believe that I made the decision illogically. I wanted to go into business for myself, but I've been spending the last nine months trying to figure out what kind. For some reason, 186 Fleet Street seemed like the perfect place to do it.


	3. The Book Store

It's done. I've bought my father's and Mrs. Lovett's places at 186 Fleet Street. As far as I know, nobody suspects anything, not that I'm doing anything wrong.

I've decided that I'll open up a book shop here.

The whole upper floor will be my apartment, like back when my father was Benjamin Barker, back when things were normal… back when I was too little to remember. The main floor is going to be the shop, set up in Mrs. Lovett's bakery. The parlor will still be a parlor, sort of a little reading room. If I get enough books, I may use the cellar as a storeroom, unless it's too damp to keep the books down there.

I'm a little worried that business will be more than slow, due to the reputation of the place.

It's a bit strange… There's this young man that's been hanging around outside here. He seems familiar… He's not Anthony, but that's who he sort of reminds me of. I'm not sure why.

Should I take this as a bad sign?


End file.
